if it was mostly negative. But maybe that was to cover up the hurt they both felt. Maybe this tragedy could turn out to be a good thing for them. Though it killed Pam to acknowledge this, maybe it could help them put things in perspective. Susan would recover. Pam felt certain of that. And then maybe she and Tom could put aside their petty differences to give their marriage another try.
This possibility, though Pam knew it might be what God wanted, crushed her heart. She prayed that He would take away the jealousy she suddenly felt and help her to feel happy for them. But at the same time, she realized that she could barely control the imaginary wall of water threatening to break through the dam and knock her off her feet. Forcing herself to get a grip, she called the ED nurses’ station.
“Hi,” she said abruptly. “This is Dr. Harrington. Is everything under control? Good. I’m going to take a half-hour break.” She’d been on her feet for more than eight hours. They would understand.
Next, Pam went into her private bathroom and turned on the shower. After stripping off her stained scrubs, she stepped into the steamy spray of hot water. Dear God, she practically screamed inside. Please wash away this pain. And help them to be a family again.
****
“Pam?”
Startled, Pam poked her head out of the shower. Had someone called her name? Couldn’t she even take a shower in peace?
“Pam?” The voice repeated on the other side of the door. “It’s me.”
“Tom?” She held the curtain to her nude body. What did he want?
“Yes. I have to talk to you.”
“Now? Is Susan okay?” That was a dumb question. The woman was in the middle of major surgery. “I mean, has something happened?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, no. Just a sec.” Quickly, praying for God to help the surgeons and their patient, Pam rinsed the shampoo out of her hair, turned off the water and briskly dried off. Reaching for a robe she kept hooked on the back of the bathroom door, she called out, “Tell me what happened.”
“Can’t I see you? Are you still upset with me?”
Standing there, her hair dripping wet, wearing only a short robe around her body, she rolled her eyes at the absurdity of the situation.
“It’s not that. I don’t have any clean clothes in here. Please hand me a set of scrubs. They’re in the cabinet, against the wall.”
“Oh.”
Pam imagined him looking around for them.
“Well then, maybe what I have to say is better this way.”
“Huh?” Then she understood. Her stomach knotted so tight, she nearly keeled over from the pain. She wrapped her arms around herself and leaned against the wall, braced for his words.
Dear Lord, please help me to handle this, she prayed. Tom is going to confirm that he gave some deep thought to his relationship to Susan, and to their children. It caused him to decide that they should give their marriage another chance.
Pam squeezed her eyes closed.
“I wanted to tell you how sorry I am.”
Here it comes…
“You were so right. I’ve been handling this thing with Susan all wrong and it’s killing my sons.”
Devastated, Pam sunk to her knees. It’s happening. They’re getting back together.
She bit her lip to choke back the sobs of jealousy and humiliation.
“The boys are here at the hospital, scared to death for their mother. Though I can’t stand the woman, she is their mom and they love her. It’s tearing them apart to know that she’s in the operating room right now fighting for her life. Just like when she and I fight. I knew it couldn’t be good for them, but seeing their little faces just now, their eyes pleading for me to tell them she’ll be okay, forced me to see just how bad they’ve been hurting.”
Did Pam hear him right? Did he say he couldn’t stand the woman?
Truths Unveiled
Truths Unveiled
Chapter Forty-Eight
Before Pam could replay the conversation in her mind, Tom continued, “A.J. was missing this afternoon. We were scared sick, thinking that he ran away. I was out looking for him when I got the call about Susan. At first, I thought the call was about him. She was looking for him, too. According to a witness, she darted across the street to her car without checking the traffic. By the time the truck driver saw her, it was too late to stop.”
“Where was A.J.?” Pam asked, immediately troubled.
Tom let out a short chuckle. “The little pooper was with his youth group